<h3 class="post-title subpt">Writing to the President of Colombia, Ivan Duque, The Elders welcomed his commitment to the peace agreement signed by his predecessor Juan&nbsp;Manuel Santos and encouraged its full implementation to further the causes of peace and reconciliation.</h3>

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<p><a href="https://theelders.cmail20.com/t/y-i-khgtlt-l-n/"><strong><em>En español</em></strong></a></p>

<p>The Elders have written to the President of Colombia, Ivan Duque, to welcome his commitment to the peace agreement signed by his predecessor Juan&nbsp;Manuel Santos and to encourage its full implementation to further the causes of peace and reconciliation.</p>

<p><a href="https://theelders.org/mary-robinson"><strong>Mary Robinson</strong></a>, Chair of The Elders, said in a letter to President Duque that:</p>

<p><em>“We welcome your commitment to upholding the peace treaty. You have a historic role to play in steering your country through this process in the coming years, uniting all sides.</em></p>

<p><em>The Elders believe this agreement can become the foundation stone for broad, and inclusive, economic and social development for all Colombians, and that your country can enjoy a significant peace dividend.”</em></p>

<p>Three Elders were present at the signing of the 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC): <a href="http://theelders.org/ban-ki-moon"><strong>Ban Ki-moon</strong></a> in his then role as UN Secretary-General, the late <a href="https://theelders.org/kofi-annan"><strong>Kofi Annan</strong></a>, then Chair of The Elders, and <a href="http://theelders.org/ernesto-zedillo"><strong>Ernesto Zedillo</strong></a>, former President of Mexico.</p>

<p><strong>Mary Robinson</strong> stressed The Elders’ continuing commitment to supporting the peace deal in any way that could be constructive, drawing on their diverse experience of peacemaking across different continents.</p>

<p><em>“As I know from personal experience with the Northern Ireland conflict, peace agreements are usually just the beginning of a long journey, and tensions will inevitably arise over the nature and implementation of peace.</em></p>

<p><em>While social acceptance of Colombia’s peace agreement is important, it will also be vital to ensure that disagreement on specific details does not derail the entire project of peace”</em>, she said.</p>

<p>ENDS</p>

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<p>For media inquiries, please contact William French, Head of Communications at The Elders (+44 7795 693 903) or email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]&quot; target="_blank">[email protected]</a></p>